Liverpool GPs Use App to Detect Skin Cancer

Liverpool doctors are using a new smartphone technology to improve skin cancer treatment.

18:37 17 March 2022

GPs in Liverpool are now using a new smartphone technology to speed up and improve outcomes for patients undergoing skin cancer treatment. It is a part of a scheme that aims to reduce the NHS waiting list backlog. 

 

Doctors in Merseyside and Cheshire have become the first in the country to capture clinical images of moles and lesions and make referrals through an app. 

 

Dr Stephanie Gallard, the primary care lead for elective dermatology within Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership, said she was now able to treat patients "more effectively".

 

The app uses a dermatoscope, a smartphone-compatible skin imaging device that allows GP to capture images of moles and other skin lesions in a data-compliant manner. GPs then send the images to a secondary-care specialist who reviews the case and suggest the next steps for the patient. 

 

Dr Richard Azurdia, a consultant dermatologist at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said the technology had helped save time, which he "can put towards helping patients and reducing care backlogs".